When you make a promise to God, don’t wait too long to carry it out. He isn’t pleased with foolish people. So do what you have promised.It is not good to make a promise and not keep it. It is better to make no promise at all.Don’t let your mouth cause you to sin. Don’t say to the temple messenger,“ My promise was a mistake.” Why should God be angry with what you say? Why should he destroy what you have done?
Suppose a man makes a special promise to the Lord. Or suppose he gives his word to do something. Then he must keep his promise. He must do everything he said he would do.“ Suppose a young woman is still living in her father’s house. She makes a special promise to the Lord. Or she gives her word to do something.Suppose her father hears about her promise. And he doesn’t say anything to her about it. Then she must keep her promise. She must do what she agreed to do.But suppose her father doesn’t allow her to keep her promises when he hears about them. Then she doesn’t have to do what she promised or agreed to do. The Lord will set her free. He’ll do it because her father hasn’t allowed her to keep her promises.“ Suppose she gets married after she makes a special promise. Or she gets married after agreeing to do something without thinking it through.Suppose her husband hears about what she did. And he doesn’t say anything to her about it. Then she must keep her promise. She must do what she agreed to do.But suppose her husband doesn’t allow her to keep her promises when he hears about them. Then she doesn’t have to do what she promised. She doesn’t have to do what she agreed to do without thinking it through. The Lord will set her free.“ Suppose a widow makes a special promise. Or suppose she gives her word to do something. Then she must keep her promise. She must do what she agreed to do. The same rules apply to a woman who has been divorced.“ Suppose a woman living with her husband makes a special promise. Or she gives her word to do something.Suppose her husband hears about what she did. He doesn’t say anything to her about it. And he doesn’t try to stop her from keeping her promises. Then she must keep all of them. She must do what she agreed to do.But suppose her husband doesn’t allow her to keep her promises when he hears about them. Then she doesn’t have to do what she promised. She doesn’t have to do what she agreed to do. Her husband has kept her from doing what she said she would do. The Lord will set her free.Her husband can let her keep any special promise she makes. Or he can refuse to let her keep it. Suppose she gives her word not to eat anything. Then her husband can let her keep her promise. Or he can refuse to let her keep it.But suppose day after day her husband doesn’t say anything to her about what she did. Then he lets her keep all her promises. He lets her do everything she agreed to do. That’s because he didn’t say anything to her when he heard about what she had done.But suppose some time after he hears about her promises he doesn’t let her keep them. Then she will be guilty. But he will bear the consequences for her guilt.”These are the rules the Lord gave Moses about a man and his wife. And these are the rules the Lord gave about a father and his young daughter still living at home.
“ Again, you have heard what was said to your people long ago. They were told,‘ Do not break the promises you make to the Lord. Keep your promises to the Lord that you have made.’
“ Suppose someone is unfaithful to me and sins. And they do it without meaning to. Here is how they sin against me or my priests. They refuse to give the priests one of the holy things set apart for them. Then they must bring me a ram from the flock. It must not have any flaws. It must be worth the required amount of silver. The silver must be weighed out in keeping with the standard weights that are used in the sacred tent. The ram is a guilt offering. It will pay for their sin.
“‘ A tenth of everything the land produces belongs to the Lord. That includes grain from the soil and fruit from the trees. It is holy. It is set apart for him.Suppose someone wants to buy back some of their tenth. Then they must add a fifth of the cost to it.
“‘ Only a member of a priest’s family can eat the sacred offering. The guest of a priest can’t eat it. A priest’s hired worker can’t eat it either.But suppose a priest buys a slave with money. Or suppose slaves are born in his house. Then they can eat the sacred food.Suppose a priest’s daughter marries someone who is not a priest. Then she can’t eat any of the food brought as a sacred gift.But suppose the priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced. She does not have any children. And she returns to live in her father’s house, where she lived when she was young. Then she can eat her father’s food. But a person who does not belong to a priest’s family can’t eat any of it.“‘ Suppose someone eats a sacred offering by mistake. Then they must pay back the priest for the offering. They must also add a fifth of its value to it.The priests must not allow the sacred offerings to become“ unclean.” They are the offerings the Israelites bring to the Lord.
“ Will a mere human being dare to steal from God? But you rob me!“ You ask,‘ How are we robbing you?’“ By holding back your offerings. You also steal from me when you do not bring me a tenth of everything you produce.So you are under my curse. In fact, your whole nation is under my curse. That is because you are robbing me.Bring the entire tenth to the storerooms in my temple. Then there will be plenty of food. Test me this way,” says the Lord.“ Then you will see that I will throw open the windows of heaven. I will pour out so many blessings that you will not have enough room to store them.
“‘ Suppose what they promised is an animal that the Lord will accept as an offering. Then the animal given to the Lord becomes holy.The one who makes the promise must not trade it. They must not trade a good animal for a bad one. And they must not trade a bad animal for a good one. Suppose they choose one animal instead of another. Then both animals become holy.
